In the UK there is something called "The Watershed " this rule applies to all broadcasters within the UK and is usually considered to be the hours between 9pm and 5:30am. This doesn't mean that straight after 9pm you can switch from family friendly to more adult material - the strongest material should be shown later in the evening. Programs shown before 9pm are required to be safe for viewing by children. This includes the following:. Sexually explicit material. Violent material. Strong language.

Content that is extremely graphic or may cause distress. Usually if content contains these elements and is broadcast before 9PM, the content will be edited to remove such content (or bleeping applied to hide language). Programs broadcast after 9PM do not get censored in this manner but will probably be introduced with a content warning ("This program may contain scenes that cause distress", "This program contains strong language", etc). There are many documented instances of "unsuitable" content being broadcast before the watershed starts, and Top Gear is somewhat notorious for pushing the boundaries in this regard anyway - as you don't seem to be in the UK, you should be aware that Top Gear has contained swearing for quite some time and it's likely your own broadcasters that are no longer censoring it.